傾城之資 The Wealth of a Whole City
孤三個犬子，一生好弄武藝，今謹發虔心，欲拜為門徒，學些武藝。萬望老師開天地之心，普運慈舟，傳度小兒，必以傾城之資奉謝。」孤三个犬子，一生好弄武艺，今谨发虔心，欲拜为门徒，学些武艺。万望老师开天地之心，普运慈舟，传度小儿，必以倾城之资奉谢。」
逐句解 Line by line
My three worthless sons have been fond of playing at arms all their lives. They now respectfully set their hearts on it, and wish to bow as disciples and learn a little of the art.
犬子, dog-sons, is the standard humble word for one's own boys — you belittle your children when speaking of them to others, and 子 is zǐ here, the noun, not the light suffix. 虔心, a reverent heart, is religious vocabulary rather than martial: he is framing the request as an act of devotion. 為 is wéi, as: to bow as disciples.
I beg the venerable masters to open a heaven-and-earth heart, set the boat of mercy universally in motion, and ferry my boys across. I shall certainly repay you with the wealth of the whole city."
The request rises into full Buddhist metaphor and then falls straight into money. 慈舟, the boat of mercy, is the vessel that carries beings across to the further shore, and 傳度 is to transmit teaching and ferry across in the same two characters. Then 傾城之資 — resources enough to empty a city — offered as a fee. He has asked for enlightenment and offered to pay for it.
The whole request is here, and its shape is the shape of a man out of his depth in a foreign register. He borrows the language of salvation and then reaches for his purse.
The offer is not cynical. He genuinely means to give everything he has, which is why the sum is a whole city rather than a number. It is simply the only way he knows to show that a thing matters.
Pilgrim's answer in the next passage is going to be about exactly this, and it is the kindest thing he says in the chapter.