I don't really have one favorite author, but I like Jin Yong's works. Especially Smiling Proud Wanderer for its political intrigue hidden behind Wuxia worldbuilding. I've also read a lot of webnovels by Butterfly's Shadow Beneath the Moon, but her recent works don't have the dark undertone the older one's have. Like The Job of an Imperial Concubine or Eight Treasures Trousseau. (She wrote a fanfiction that I can't stand, so that doesn't help either.)
There are two, actualy.. Monster by little devil And Liu Yao by priest tbh most of her works are quite close to my heart if I had to choose one it would be little devil's monster tho haha.. Also 南康白起 who wrote six records of a floating life And life going wild with plug ins by shi zi qing
Jin Yong, but that's sort of cheating. There is no Chinese writer who is more revered or more of an inspiration to new writers. The number of times his books get adapted to film and TV is testament to his enduring popularity. His best book is undoubtedly "the Deer and the Cauldron" - it's even responsible for two major trends in Chinese literature! Even though this is the best book, my favorite is still "Return of the Condor Heroes". Honestly though, he is criminally underread on NU, and basically everything he writes is good.
Gu Zhen Ren (Reverend Insanity), but maybe I'm biased bc they're my first CN experience lol A more recent one would probably be Mu Gua Huang (Dangerous Personality - such an underrated gem fr)
Either Gu Zhenren or cuddlefish I really love the legend of zu ren by Zhenren and I love the intricate magic system and plot by cuddlefish
Madame Ru, author of fav webnovel INEBM. But i have a love-hate relationship since she's like the Lorde of Cn webnovels who disappears for years from hiatus and starts updating chapters out of nowhere
I forgot mine, I like Lazy Cliché and I Eat Tomatoes. Coiling Dragon and Stellar Transformation was part of my first journey in CN webnovel. Chronicles Primordial Wars still my fav novel. Another writer that I like : Cuttlefish That Loves Diving (Martial Arts Master) & I Can Fix Air-Conditioners (My House of Horrors) . As you can see, I prefer easy-going novel that its not hard to think about while reading it.
Xia da - Song of the Long March Tong Hua - the memories lost in space Yu Wo - Dominions end Yi Xiu Luo - qizi & little antelope and night wolf (bl) There's a lot of other novel that I like, but most didn't have more than 1 or 2 ongoing novels.